Sep. 12—SIOUX CITY — An effort years in the making has come to fruition with Morningside University's School of Aviation conducting its first flight on Tuesday.
Morningside freshman Valerie Mejia was the first student to take flight for the program, an event that Chief Flight Instructor Aaron Diedrichs sees as the official take-off of the program.
"The last four years have come to fruition with that flight today," he said.
This fall, Morningside welcomed its first students in its professional flight and aviation management students. The program is a partnership between the college, Oracle Aviation and the city of Sioux City.
On Tuesday afternoon, various leaders with the flight program and university watched as Mejia took off from the Sioux Gateway Airport. The flight comes just three weeks after courses began.
Morningside President Albert Mosley said he was excited to see the program come to fruition.
"This is going to do wonders for the Siouxland region and for Morningside University," he said.
There are 16 students participating in the aviation program, with 11 pursuing flight, while the others are pursuing non-flight careers. Diedrichs hopes the program will have 60 students in three years.
Mejia, whose father works for American Airlines, said she was excited to join the program as a Sioux City native, adding she was drawn toward it because of her desire to travel the world and see different sites.
She had already done an orientation flight, but Tuesday was the first time she was in control of the plane throughout the hour-long flight from takeoff to landing. Mejia said she was nervous and excited.
Diedrichs said the flight went well and Mejia practiced a variety of maneuvers.
"She did a beautiful takeoff, nice and smooth," he said. "She did a fantastic job."
Col. Brian Miller, former commander of the 185th Refueling Wing, is serving as director of aviation for Morningside.
Around 4 1/2 years ago, the city and others in the community started thinking of ways to attract more business to the airfield in Sioux City. Miller said the fastest way is through a flight school, so he approached Morningside about creating a program, both to grow the airport but also to help fill a national pilot shortage.
"They decided, 'Yeah let's do this,'" Miller said.
The university partnered with Oracle Aviation, an aviation company based in Omaha that operates a flight school at the University of Nebraska-Omaha.
Dave Poole with Oracle Aviation said this this the perfect time to start a flight school, because of the massive need for pilots around the world.
Oracle Aviation's projections show the number of passenger flights doubling in the next 20 years and nearly 80% of active pilots being forced into retirement in the next 14 years due to pilot age requirements. Boeing estimates that more than 850,000 pilots will need to be trained to keep up with demand.
When thinking of Sioux City and aviation, Diedrichs said many people's first thought is United Airlines Flight 232, which crash-landed at the Sioux Gateway Airport in 1989.
"Hopefully one day when they say Sioux City [they'll think] 'oh Morningside University School of Aviation,'" he said.
Diedrichs also spoke about Morningside's history with aviation education. During World War II, Morningside trained pilots.
The professional flight program is for students interested in becoming a pilot in the commercial, private or government field, as well as other flight-related careers.
Diedrichs said when thinking of aviation careers, many people think it is limited to being a pilot, flight attendant or mechanic. With the growth of new aviation careers such as Space Force and drone operations, Diedrichs believes there are at least 200 different aviation careers available.
With this first flight happening so soon after courses began, Poole highlighted their belief that the students need to start flying right away and immediately apply the concepts they learn in class.
"There's nothing better than actually learning something in the class and going and practicing it in real life," he said.
After graduating from the four-year program, students will be able to be hired as professional pilots. Poole said many students will have jobs lined up before they graduate, and Oracle Aviation hires many of the students who graduate from their programs.
The aviation management program is for those who are interested in careers within the airline industry that do not involve flying.
A 40,000-square-foot facility is currently being constructed for a flight academy and additional aviation operations.
The aviation center was established through partnerships with Morningside University, Western Iowa Tech Community College and Oracle Aviation. The project, which was spearheaded by city officials and leaders at The Siouxland Initiative, includes hangar space, training classrooms and office facilities.
Next year, Western Iowa Tech Community College will begin to offer an associate of applied science in aviation maintenance.
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